Some of the most difficult cases that come through SAFE are also some of the shortest. Blue’s was one such case.
Several weeks after Porsche, we got a call from Animal Control about another horse who needed our help, a gelding named Blue. Blue was very thin, which is never easy to witness, but we had our refeeding schedule dialed in, and were ready for the midnight meals.
But it was clear from the moment we met Blue that there was more going on than just malnutrition. Watching him move was painful, each step causing him a great deal of discomfort. Just from a quick glance of his hooves, it was apparent there was a lot going on under the surface. He had deep abscess tracks that were actively oozing pus, and when we had our vets out for x‑rays the day after his arrival, what we discovered was truly heartbreaking.
The abscesses in Blue’s front feet had been left alone so long that the abscesses had permeated to the bone. In addition, the left front coffin bone was also fractured. The damage to his hooves was irreparable, and the kindest choice was to euthanize.
Due to the severity of the case, Animal Control opted to have a necropsy performed on Blue. Because of the timing of this, we had a week to spend with Blue before we let him go.
Over the course of the week, we medicated Blue with the NSAID bute, which helped keep him comfortable. We deeply bedded his stall, and re-fed him with leafy alfalfa — despite the fact that his clock was ticking, we didn’t want to risk overwhelming his system with free feed. Each day, we soaked his front hooves in an epsom salt bath, and poulticed them with drawing salve. During these “spa sessions,” Blue was a complete gentleman. Over the course of the week we spent together, we watched the light grow in Blue’s eyes. He nickered for us at feeding times, and seemed to really enjoy the time we spent together. It was hard to see him looking so good (relatively) and know what was coming.
On the morning he was scheduled to leave this earthly plane, we watched him walk out of his stall, and were immediately reminded that what we were doing was correct. In his padded stall, with his freshly applied boots, he seemed comfortable enough, but the reality was that he was still in pain, and there was nothing other than laying him to rest that we could do.
The time we spent with Blue was short, but sweet. We were able to dote on him, and show him the care and love that he had been recently denied. He exited this life surrounded by people who held his best interests at heart.
Rest in peace, Blue.
